Of the non substance-abuse singles here, Lee Brice has the Disc of the Day. Jordan Davis earns our DisCovery Award.

MARK McKINNEY/Rainey Day MoneyWriters: Mark McKinney; Producer: Eric KcKinney/Mark McKinney; Publishers: none listed; MM
– Laid back and mellow, this flows along like a slow summer day. “I’d rather run out of money than run out of time,” he sings in defense of spending his savings on vacation time.

DIERKS BENTLEY/What The Hell Did I SayWriters: Copperman/Kear/Tompkins; Producer: Ross Copperman; Publishers: EMI Blackwood/Songs By Red Room/Year of the Dog/Champagne Whiskey/Round Hill/Big Loud/Play Animal, BMI/ASCAP; Capitol (track)
– He called her drunk late at night. Now she digs him, but he can’t remember what he said to her. The rocking, busy track with its electric-guitar roaring underscores his confusion.

ADRIAN JOHNSTON/Adult BeveragesWriters: Johnston/Zac Maloy; Producer: Zac Maloy; Publisher: none listed; ASCAP; Just Another Blonde
– The song has a rather simplistic melody and the production is minimal. So it’s up to her wildly enthusiastic vocal performance to “sell” it.

LEE BRICE/BoyWriters: Jon Nite/Nicolle Galyon; Producers: Brice/Jon Stone/Kyle Jacobs/Dan Frizsell; Publishers: none listed, BMI; Curb (CDX)
– Advice from someone older and wiser. He sees himself in the youngster, so every line has the ring of emotional truth. This man has repeatedly demonstrated his talent for finding extraordinary lyrics, and he has done it again here. Applause from this corner.

PARKER HOWARD/It Ain’t A Party (Til Something Gets Broken)Writers: Jeffery Lynn Batson/Will Nance/Stephen Joseph Williams; Producer: none listed; Publishers: Hi-Value/Over the Monster/Wilburns, ASCAP; PH
– It’s a rollicking rocker with a solid backbeat. It’s definitely a good time. The only disconcerting thing is that his tenor is so high that he sounds too young to be singing about drinking, smoking and ogling leather skirts.

Album Releases

September 13Brett Young/The Acoustic Sessions [EP]/BMLG RecordsThe Lumineers
/III/DualtoneVarious/Country Music – A Film By Ken Burns (The Soundtrack) [2CD, 2LP and digital configurations]/LegacyGeorge Strait/Strait Out of the Box: Part 1 [Walmart re-issue]/MCA Records NashvilleHailey Whitters/The Days